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Tuesday, August 16, 2016

An Accidental Gentleman by M.Q. Barber

Fast forward never took so long...

Kit Runyon isn’t looking for a man to keep—she’s happy with the occasional
one-night stand and no strings. Making sure her family’s electronics repair
shop is profitable enough to support three generations is her main focus. But
when Brian Hendricks walks into the store, one look, one word, and she knows
he’s not wired like any man she’s ever met before...

Brian’s attracted to Kit’s strength and no-nonsense attitude, but he’s tired of
the one-and-done dating scene. He’s ready to settle down with the right woman,
even if that means he’ll have to play things slow and stay out of her bed to
show her there’s more to love than just mind-blowing sex. But at this rate he’s
liable to short all the circuits...

Angela – ☆☆☆☆
Can the reformed bad boy win the woman who’s only interested in one-night
stands with bad boys? That’s the mission Brian undertakes when a blown-out tire
leads to him meeting the commitment phobic Kit. And she makes him work for it –
boy, does she – because Kit has no interest in anything more than the
scratching of an itch. No relationship means no broken heart and that’s just
the way Kit likes her life.

I found the role reversal in An
Accidental Gentleman to be rather entertaining. At 37, Brian is looking to
settle down thanks to having a front row seat to his best friend’s happiness.
However, finding the right woman has proven nearly impossible because Brian
doesn’t want kids, he doesn’t want docile, and he’s afraid that a long-term
relationship will mean putting his sexual appetite on a diet. But when the
middle-aged truck driver Brian expects to see turns out to be a hot little
number in cutoff shorts and a tank top, he’s in instant lust. When said hot
little number eschews his attempts to ask her out because she doesn’t date, she
only fornicates, Brian curiosity is piqued, and then some. The dance that
follows as Brian stumbles over emotional landmines, repeatedly, in his pursuit
of Katherine is sensual, frustrating, and occasionally, laugh out loud funny.

I absolutely loved An Accidental
Gentleman. I appreciated that Barber chose to trace Kit’s bitterness about
and avoidance of relationships back to watching her sister’s marriage crumble
and her nieces struggle with not having their father in their lives. This made
Kit understandably cautious without having been broken herself, which meant
that Brian only had to prove himself trustworthy and was not tasked with
healing her broken heart as well. I also liked how the nine-year age difference
was only an issue when Kit made assumptions about what she thought Brian was
looking for in a relationship, particularly when it came to kids. I found the
encounter between Kit and a past lover to be quite interesting because it
highlighted that even though she had no reason to be ashamed of her sexual
appetite, she could still feel regret over who she had taken to her bed in the
past – a regret not for the act, but for the partner. Thankfully, with Brian’s
age and military background came perseverance, so he kept trying long after
most men would have thrown in the towel on their pursuit of Kit. As entertaining
as it was to watch Brian and Kit fall in love, the best part was the gift he
leaves for her on her work bench at the end of the book. It not only
demonstrated his love and commitment, but an understanding of her work
environment and the words she needed to take the next step toward their future.
An Accidental Gentleman was an
enjoyable addition to the Gentleman series and I’m looking forward to reading
whatever Barber writes next.

M.Q. Barber likes to get lost in thought. She writes things down so she
can find herself again. Often found staring off into space or frantically
scratching words on sticky notes, M.Q. lives with one very tolerant, easily
amused husband and one very tolerant, easily amused puppy. She has a soft spot
for romances that explore the inner workings of the heart and mind alongside
all that steamy physical exertion. She loves memorable characters, witty
banter, and heartfelt emotion in any genre. The former Midwestern gal is the
author of the Neighborly Affection contemporary romance series. Pick a
safeword, grab a partner or two, and jump in.

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